Good advice Mark! But I will add one on plane travel: Don’t hesitate to pay a little bit more for direct flight. The super deal with a long layover may seem great but there is two caveats: 1. You lose time for visiting 2. You will likely spend money during that layover, even a sandwich is expensive in a airport and more likely you will go to a sit down restaurant and have a drink to help spend that time. You could easily spend 100$ just there.

@woltersworld

Жыл бұрын

Yep

@me-lg1yw

Жыл бұрын

You may also miss your connecting flight if your first flight is delayed.

@adventuretravels7340

Жыл бұрын

I disagree a long layover like 24 hrz is an amazing opportunity to get an idea of the city your in I've had amazing layovers in Tokyo Paris and Singapore just call it a free mini trip.

@ohwell225

Жыл бұрын

@@adventuretravels7340 I feel like a 24hr layover is one thing, but an 8hr layover is quite another. That's not really enough time to explore much when you also have to reenter airport security--even with expedited airport security passes like global entry or precheck. You might not know what's in the immediate area around the airport, either, so finding something in that 8hr timeframe to do for the mini trip could be really difficult. So, it's a super long layover without much payback. The airports I've been to in the US tend to be pretty isolated.

@paulkoza8652

Жыл бұрын

I agree. And you avoid the potential that the layover is too short and you miss your connecting flight.

I think the best budget thing I've been doing this year is rebooking hotel rooms. Book the hotel room you want with free cancellation. Then when you see a better deal, or promo code, book it again and cancel the original booking. You get the same hotel, but for less money.

my best tip is to book a hotel that allows you to do most sightseeing by foot instead of being stuck in the metro without seeing anything. Even if the hotel is more expensive then a hotel far from the center, what you save in transport and in stress of figuring out bus/metro routes in a place you go for the first time makes it worth it.

@ykjo5613

Жыл бұрын

I stand by this rule! Great tip!

@frankfuentes5659

Жыл бұрын

That's the first I look for. We like to walk around so that's priority #1. #2 would be a room with at least a queen size bed.

Part of a fun learning experience is going to a foreign supermarket. It was money saving, but such a unique way to see the every day life of another country.

@Snowshowslow

Жыл бұрын

Yesss it's one of my favourite things to see what seemingly random thing they have a whole aisle for, what things are common enough to make it to the ready meals section and to try some common bakery items 💯

@jodpigbass5904

Жыл бұрын

YES .... i totally agree ...i always go to the supermarket wherever i am .. you find the best snacks and i remember 30 years ago a tube of mayonnaise in my backpack saved me on many occasion..

@angelofamillionyears4599

Жыл бұрын

True Russ. This is true even in the US. The Supermarket deli can be good. You do miss the restaurant experience, however.

@catalinacurio

Жыл бұрын

There’s a supermarket in Lisbon called Pingu, or something like that, I love Pingu the penguin so I just remember that part. It’s cheap and good, their own brand is as good if not better than expensive.

@angelofamillionyears4599

Жыл бұрын

@@catalinacurio Thanks !

I would add a caveat for buying a plane ticket from site other than the airline directly. It might save you 5-10 dollars, but if something goes wrong with the flight, you will have to fix it through the site you bought it from and that can take forever. You can get assistance more quickly directly from the airline if you buy direct.

For International travel, I book through an Agency. When the airline decides to change your flight without your consent (or even knowledge), the Agency will have more clout to fix the situation.

I can recommend a budget friendly destination - Budapest, Hungary. Budapest reminds me a lot of Paris - the same look of the 5 story apartment buildings - the Danube going through the center rather than the Seine - beautiful Cathedrals - great food - excellent public transportation. In addition Budapest has thermal pools. But it's a fraction of the cost.

@pansyrosereality

Жыл бұрын

Great idea. I’ll check that out myself.

@KB-sg7tv

Жыл бұрын

Adding that to my list for the next travel year. You sold me with the thermal pools.

@toddnelson7393

Жыл бұрын

@@KB-sg7tv The thermal pools in Budapest are great. It's not just one pool but a bunch of pools all different temperatures. So you feel like Goldilocks walking around finding the right one. Trying to find something similar the Budapest pool in the USA, but no luck.

@rebeccagutierrez1960

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip.

@ykjo5613

Жыл бұрын

BUD is AWESOME! Was there in 2010 and 2019. It has changed but still pretty amazing.

Love these tips: One thing I did during lunch was to watch where the construction workers were heading to eat in Germany and found a great little sausage stand.

Traveling off peak time is a great tip. I traveled to Spain in October and indeed the weather was great and no lines to museums and other attractions. Thank you Mark for another great video.

@woltersworld

Жыл бұрын

Best time!

@brandonhunnewell706

Жыл бұрын

​@@woltersworld Hey Wolter! An affordable destination that i noticed you haven't put a video on yet is the Philippines! Do you have any tips for travellers going there?

@mrb152

Жыл бұрын

Just don’t go any later into November. I did in mid November and it was super cold!

@barbarawissinger

Жыл бұрын

I always travel to Malta in February (am there now🙂). The weather is lovely (especially compared to home in Germany), it’s cheap & less busy. We’ll try Spain/Portugal next year.

@TMD3453

Жыл бұрын

Even the very end of August can be good in Europe. Thanks, Mark, happy travels!!

For the phone plan issue, I would recommend getting a local SIM card. In Italy I was able to purchase an Italian SIM Card for $30 for 15gb of data and that meant we had a local number to be able to contact local businesses. It was very convenient and then I was able to turn on my hotspot so my husband could just piggy back off my cellular data. It was cheaper than adding the international plan.

@Charlotte-bc7vj

Жыл бұрын

Yessss! Only works when you’ve paid off and unlocked your phone, a lot of people are stuck on contracts with their phone provider but you can find out how much your pay off is and pay to unblock it 😊

@alis8476

Жыл бұрын

There are also several e-sim options available

@Anoalekontrieger

Жыл бұрын

@@Charlotte-bc7vj are sim locked phones still a thing? Here in Europe every phone is sim lock free is my understanding

@Chan12282

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this! Where would you buy a local SIM card?

@diamend5

Жыл бұрын

@@Chan12282 The airport or some train stations have cell phone shops. Similar to the US, you just look for a cellular store. The one I purchased was in a row of shops around the corner from my hotel in Venice and you could see the advertisement for SIM cards along with cell phone cases and accessories. If you don't want a SIM card they also offered phones - similar to Track phones.

Hey Mark! So the incognito trick might not really be worth it because the point of sale (PoS in revenue mgmt terms) remains the same; it doesn't think you're in a different location. So afaik, prices don't inflate because you keep seeing them. They are always controlled by us in revenue management where we handle inventory. A VPN could perhaps help to buy from a different PoS. I work in a BA short-haul where there are just two points of sale (UK and the Rest of Europe) so there's not much difference between the two in terms of fares as the willingness to pay is roughly the same, but it can differ in the rest of world scenario. The faster the lower fares sell (always look out for the selling class when you book a ticket; this is just a single letter such as K, L, etc., and is different from your cabin, which is economy, business, etc). Each of these classes is stacked in the form of a ladder (increasing classes at the top of the ladder, the topmost being fully flexible), and we just open and close classes to reduce/increase fares. In the inventory, the system jumps to the higher classes by closing the lower ones depending on how much demand we've forecasted in each fare class (the lowest open class at the time is the fare you see on the website). This is what eventually inflates the fares. We could always intervene and open a lower class if the demand for a flight slows down (these last-minute deals are due to this), closer to departure, and reduce the fare. A full flight, or a 90-100% load factor for the routes we manage is almost as important as maximizing revenue for us. Demand and supply. :) Low-cost carriers are only low-cost when it's low season haha. Trust me, we have easyjet and Wizz Air as our competitors lol. Also, 1 pound fares dont include carrier-imposed fees and taxes, which make up the major component of what you pay anyways. Hope you are well!

Just to add to data plan tip-be careful about having your data on when you haven’t done yet arrived in your destination. I was on a ferry from England to The Netherlands (at the time both in the EU) and so I left my data roaming on as it was included in my plan for the EU. Went to sleep and woke up to quite a big bill because somehow I’d picked up signal in international waters.

@honeyrococo

Жыл бұрын

Yes, we live in France and one day made a day trip to Andorra which is outside the Schengen Area but we didn’t think to turn our roaming data off. Just being there for 3 hours with our phone apps updating in the background cost us 40 euros 😢

Great video! I'll add one more - when booking hotels/airbnbs, don't look at just the price of the room, but also the location. If you book a cheaper hotel that's outside the main area you want to explore, you'll have to pay to get there and back each day, and that might wind up costing more than if you'd booked a more expensive hotel/airbnb in the main area you want to explore; plus you'll spend time traveling there and back!

FamilyMart and 7-11 convenience stores were a lifesaver when I traveled to Japan. Not only affordable but you can find some really tasty and healthy snacks.

The grocery stores are one of my most favorite parts of travel! Seeing the different brands, food types, and not knowing what half of what im getting is. Its the best! Not to mention a HUGE money savor! and you're really are eating like a true local! Most locals aren't eating at $30 a plate every day. They have the $3 box meal from the supermarket. Do the same. It adds so much to the experience!

Lots of good advice! If you’re over 60 also look for senior discounts. They’re not as common in Europe as in the USA but they exist and can save you a lot. For example, trains in both France and Italy offer senior fares. In France it’s a minimum of 10% off as long as you book at least 1 day in advance. I’ve gotten as much as 50% off for senior tickets.

@woltersworld

Жыл бұрын

Yes! Great point!

@Snowshowslow

Жыл бұрын

Same thing for youths / students :)

@pansyrosereality

Жыл бұрын

Good one

@karenmarr7266

Жыл бұрын

Madrid has TONS of senior discounts!

@martyscheall9626

Жыл бұрын

Go to know!

If you don't require high end hotels, hostels are a great option. They are less expensive and there are many seasoned, budget conscious travelers at them who are usually more than happy to share "hacks" and advice. I've gotten so much valuable information and advice from fellow travelers at hostels, which isn't as easy to get at hotels. Also, many hostels organize group activities, which are fun. For those who don't care for staying in dorms or are travelling with a spouse or family, many hostels offer private rooms, similar to what you get in a hotel.

@A_Canadian_In_Poland

Жыл бұрын

One-star hotels are usually only a couple euros more than a hostel bed, and you get a private room. Low-rated, low-budget hotels. Usually, only the decor is dated and there is really nothing wrong with them.

@BKLNHobo

Жыл бұрын

@@A_Canadian_In_Poland One star hotels in the US are usually dangerous.

@lannguyen-pu1db

Жыл бұрын

@@BKLNHobo supermarkets, shopping centers, movie theaters, restaurants, places of worship, the streets, and ESPECIALLY SCHOOLS ARE DANGEROUS in the you esse of aye...

@thebasketballhistorian3291

10 ай бұрын

I like the social aspect of hostels, but I really need my own private room and bathroom.

@SalyLuz-hc6he

7 ай бұрын

Some hostels actually have individual rooms you can reserve. It pays to at least ask.

I always get a local sim card for my cell phone from the first stop in Europe I go. For like 10-20 Euros you can have a local number and enough data for a 3 week trip using Google maps every day and I use wifi in accommodations at night. It also usually works fine without roaming fees in most every country you may go through.

I'm a solo traveler I will stay in hostel in Europe and highly recommend it for people who travel alone and want to meet fellow travelers to explore the local area but also allow you to explore alone. Review the reviews of the hostels before booking, and some have cheaper solo rooms compared to hotels. I'm going to Japan in March and plan to use railroads and bicycles as transportation.

@karenmarr7266

Жыл бұрын

Also, hostels offer lots of different services such as free city tours, group dinners, self serve kitchens. If you are traveling by yourself, it's a good way to meet other people.

@catalinacurio

Жыл бұрын

I intended to live in a hostel for a few weeks and wound up staying there for almost a year (I was working locally), best time of my life and so many friends made. 😊

@Charlotte-bc7vj

Жыл бұрын

I LOVE hostels and have met great friends there. As I hit my 30s on solo trips I opted for female only dorms or in a cheap location, private rooms. You can still meet people in the common area etc. Now I have a kid my hostel days are behind me but I can’t wait to encourage him to do hostel travel once he’s old enough! So fun. Walking tours are great for meeting people when you’re solo too!

@atheistweirdo

Жыл бұрын

@Charlotte 87 I try to tell everyone this. The movie hostel scared so many American about hostels that every time I mention it they always bring that up. I will plug hostelworld as an app all young solo travels need.

SO happy to see you back in my favorite city! Spot-on tips as always! I always go (on the first morning) to a store of some international celphone company and buy a SIM CARD for that country, (in Lisbon it was only 20 Euros and good for a month) and then have them insert it in my phone (their eyesight is better than mine! ), keeping my chip taped to the inside of my case for back home, and then I have phone service for anything, anywhere, not just where there is Free WiFi. Being able to call an Uber anywhere, anytime is a big plus, especially in Lisbon where Uber is super cheap, and good for chatting with the driver and getting local tips and recommendations for food and activities. We travel a lot (at least 3 international trips per year) especially as we get older and know we won't always be able to walk as much as before, and we bought a ONE YEAR travel insurance policy. It covers all our travel to wherever for any trip up to 30 days. About $400 per person.

I love how you keep it real. You’re speaking to the people ! Thank you

For the public transportation it's always a good idea to see if there's a (multi)day pass. Most cities have those. It's cheaper than buying separate tickets for every ride and saves you time. Booking asap isn't always cheaper. Sometimes it's better to wait. Flight prices often fluctuate depending on popular demand. Booking on a saturday afternoon is probably going to be a bit pricier than on a monday morning.

@MakeItWithCalvin

Жыл бұрын

One caveat with that is in places like Los Angeles they have a policy of "fare capping" so you pay no more than $5/day or $18/week to travel and in LA's case, they will eliminate day/week/month passes due to that price "cap" according to the website.

@BKLNHobo

Жыл бұрын

In this day and age everyone can and should research local transit before they even arrive. KZread is chock full of videos.

@glorgau

11 ай бұрын

Yep, it's all dynamic pricing this days.

Traveling off season is our thing!!!! Went to Amsterdam in January 2020 and it was sooooo affordable and we got lucky the weather was amazing the whole time!!! We rarely travel June-Aug.

*Accommodation* : Don't discount staying hostels. I stayed in many, many YHA hostels around the globe. Many now have private rooms. They were all very clean, and a great way to get ideas for things to do. If you're a solo traveller, it's a great way to meet people to do activities with. Even if you are choosing to stay in a hotel/ apartment, visiting a hostel is a great way of getting information of things to do. They are always very plugged in to what is going on. Also a great place to organise tours as they do this all the time.

I couchsurf and yes it can save a ton of money. That said be a good guest. Me and a friend stayed in Denver 5 days. Our host was up to see if we got back we were so quiet he didn't realize we were home. We also treated him to a baseball game. If it wasn't for him just coming back from being out of town we would have gone whitewater rafting. Tip if you stay with family or friends do something unique with them. Staycation is always fun from a couchsurfer and one of the main reasons why.

@woltersworld

Жыл бұрын

That's cool

My advise on the transportation stuff: If you travel by car in the Netherlands always use the P+R sites at the outskirts of cities. For example in Utrecht a day ticket for parking at one costs about €6 which includes a free local public transport day pass for 5 people. One hour of street parking in the city center will cost you €6.46 (Or € 46,55 for a day).

As a retired travel planner and hotelier, I find your content well researched and expertly presented. I had to smile the other day when you said Switzerland was the least friendly country, and on this video when you mention Switzerland as potentially breaking your budget. Why? After skiing in Davos back in the 80s when I was in my 20s, we booked a trip to the Alps for this June. It is expensive, but as you said in one video, knowing that going in will keep it fun. Thanks always for the great advice.

Another thing that saves money, and maybe this is obvious, is not buying souvenirs. If I do it's something I can use, it's small for space, and is under a dollar amount depending on my budget. Especially in touristy areas it can be ridiculously expensive. Thanks for these budget tips. I'm hoping to start traveling international in the next year or so.

@woltersworld

Жыл бұрын

Yes! I did a presentation this week on budget tips and I had that in my list of tips. Get 1 nice one instead of tons of crappy ones or if want to get something for friends. Send them postcards instead.

@picobello99

Жыл бұрын

​@@woltersworld But first do your research before sending postcards. It can be expensive and a waste of time. I had to wait for an hour in an over crowded post office one time and then it would cost €40 to send 5 cards. That was a bit too much for me.

@Charlotte-bc7vj

Жыл бұрын

@@picobello99 wow!! Where was there? 😱

Excellent travel tips mostly for beginner travelers, but also as a reminder to expert travelers. Thanks Mark for making this video. It summarizes many tips all in one place. Now we can share it with friends and family, to help them save money and avoid disappointment.

As goes for restaurants; if you want to eat cheap and good, go to places where local students eat. Students don't have that much money but they love good food as much as anyone.

@oooh19

2 ай бұрын

How do you know who’s a student? You can’t tell by look

@wncjan

2 ай бұрын

@@oooh19 If you are in a university town and see a restaurant where the audience is mostly young people, I say most likely at least some of them are students.

@oooh19

2 ай бұрын

@@wncjan true but everyone any age appreciates reasonable prices for their food

Great info, Mark. Safe travels.

Great things to consider, thanks so much 😊

Great job Mark! Some good advice for the rookie and experienced traveler.

great video and advice as always 👍🏻

Good info, thanks for the video!

Good tips as always! Thank you

Thanks for the video Wolter!

Great tips always!

The best travel tips always! Thanks Wolters World.

Great advice...when we travel as a family, we always go for self contained accommodation. Then we do some grocery shopping to make sure we always have breakfast in. then alternate between - lunch out and dinner in, or flip that, make a packed lunch and dinner out.

Thank you! I really enjoy and appreciate your tips!

Thank you for making this video😊

Thanks for the reminders.!!

Thanks Mark, great advice. Stay blessed! ✈️

Great advice, as always. ☀️

This was so helpful! Thank you

Excellent advice!

Very good video, thank you!

You are awesome, thanks for all those amazing tips

Great video Great reminder for even season travelers.

I'm going to have to dispute the "not paying for breakfast" part. In Spain, I was cheap and didn't pay for breakfast at my hotel. But I am an early riser and absolute nothing was open at 8:00am. I spent so much time walking instead of just paying for breakfast. Plus if you have children who are hungry it makes a lot more sense to pay for all-you-can-eat hotel breakfast.

@oooh19

2 ай бұрын

Not all hotels offer breakfast 🥞 but many do

@oooh19

2 ай бұрын

I’m shocked that cafes weren’t open

You're great! Cheers!

Great video and awesome tips!

Your videos are always useful but this is one of the best. A ton of excellent advice! Thanks

Great tips

VERY helpful tips thank you so much!

I love this type of content, Mark, which is applicable to different destinations! Thanks for this one

Super interesting! Thanks 👍

Great video, great info! Not a minute wasted, thank you so much!

Great video Mark, love you channel, greatings from Costa Rica

Great Video. Thank you for posting.

Great travel tips. I'm planning to travel this year so this was good timing for me.

Awesome advice!!

Great advice all around

Thanks for this video! So many things I would’ve never even thought of.

Great advice, thank you. Wish I’d known this years ago.

Almost at one million subs thumbs up great tips

Very useful thank you

Excellent video!

all great advice, good Sir. Cheers !

Thanks for some great tips.

Wow really great tips, thanks so much

Great video, so much travel wisdom. A great start here video for travelers.

Thank you for this video. Great information 👍👍

Thanks Walter that was beautiful

Excellent video with lots of good information. Thank you 😊

Thanks for information ❤🌹

Scandinavia in late Nov - early Dec you can see the Christmas markets. Yes it's cold, but not brutal (at least not if you are from NH), and the darkness is a quick adjust, really. And there's glugg. Old once-very-elegant hotels near the city centers can be quite reasonable. I would emphasise your general lessson that nothing is going to be more expensive than bad decisions, so worry less about the few bucks and worry more about what your temptations are likely to be.

Awesome video! I appreciate the tips! Thank you!

Great video! Going on my first trip abroad soon, so this will be very helpful.

Mark, thanks for the great information you share! Other people’s experiences are so helpful. Keep up the great videos!

Very good advice,,,Thank you.

great general advice

Love your videos! They always make me happy and excited to go somewhere. Still too nervous to bring our little one on trips with us, but your family videos give us confidence to seriously consider it.

Such great advice! I've learnt some of this through my years of traveling, but the rest of it after we followed your advice on other videos. Keep it up, Mark! I love watching your videos and how you incorporate your family into it. Thanks for keeping it real and spreading the wealth of knowledge.

Thanks again, and again, and again for all your wonderful infos and inspos you posted on KZread. It seems like I can never have enough of these, especially when I haven't been traveling for quite some time now despite all the destinations I've been eyeing for years.

For my first trip to Europe (mostly Germany) in late September 2007, a friend told my to drive from village to village and find a guest house / B&B / pensionne. I did that and it worked out well. I paid 35-55 euros per night for a basic room with my own bathroom and shower, and breakfast was typically included. I was usually the only non-native tourist there, so it was a great opportunity to meet the locals. The language barrier was a bit of a problem, but we always worked through it.

@stephenhill6003

10 ай бұрын

I did the same when visiting England from the US. It was a great way to meet people and the language barrier was fun ("Two countries separated by a common language." 🙂)

Your vids are my favorite go-to vids now. Keep up the great work & keep them coming, please!

Thank you!

Glad I'm not the only one who got burned on the "no trains on Sunday morning London" thing. Seriously? Still can't believe that's a thing. All good advice per usual - thanks Mark!

@woltersworld

Жыл бұрын

Yeah it was, "I learned it the hard way" kind of thing. Ended up flying BA from then on so I had normal flight times that worked with public transportation

@sewgeekdesigns9113

Жыл бұрын

We have that in some parts of America like no buses on Sunday…. Like people still work on Sunday 😅

@eaglenoimoto

Жыл бұрын

I lived in London for over a decade and never heard of this... you mean the first train might be a bit later than on other weekdays? Anyhow, buses in London are 24/7, there are specific night buses for times there are no trains.

@koenven7012

11 ай бұрын

@@eaglenoimoto in London, yes, but do they run out to Stansted or Luton or wherever those budget airlines fly from.

Wolter, long time no see, I always watching your videos, all great and a lot of info. we learn a lot from you. Thank you

Very informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Excellent tips. Thank you.

Haven't see you in a while. Good to see you in my feed again :)

Fantastic guidelines we live by for our full Time travel but learned a couple new tricks. Your full of info, thanks for sharing 🙏

I am an experienced traveller and this video had stuff that I hadn't even considered - thanks for the video!

Thank you 🙏🏾

Great vid super info

@woltersworld

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Lori!

Great tips Mark! We travel mostly in the USA, but we have Amtrak Rewards, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy and use them often. We did a cross country road trip a few years ago and stayed a LOT of free nights! Safe travels and keep in touch.

I did all these suggestions, thanks to you guys! Paris and Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School was a blast last year and I had no issues!